One of China’s biggest wind turbine makers, Sinovel Wind Group, has been convicted in a U.S. court on charges that it stole trade secrets from a U.S. software company.

American Superconductor Corporation claims the theft cost it hundreds of millions of dollars.

CGTN’s Dan Williams has the story from Madison, Wisconsin.

After almost three weeks, a trial over intellectual property theft is over but the ramifications could reverberate for some time to come.

A jury on Wednesday found Beijing-based wind turbine maker Sinovel Wind Group, guilty of all counts including conspiracy, trade secret theft and wire fraud.

American Superconductor Corp, or AMSC, alleges Sinovel stole computer code used to control wind turbines.

AMSC said it cost the company 800 million dollars and lost jobs.

“Obviously, it is good that Sinovel was held accountable. I talked to the United States attorney and he made clear to me that from the United States Department of Justice and the FBI and the computer crime intellectual properties section that we want to make clear that the free lunch on American innovation, American intellectual property, American hard work is over. So I hope that is the message folks take,” Timothy O’Shea assistant U.S. attorney said.

Sinovel denies the allegations. But AMSC said justice was served.

“You know we are truly thankful for the verdict. We are not surprised. The facts and the evidence were overwhelming. The department of justice prosecuted an incredible case and we are glad that the jury saw it our way,” John Samia AMSC general counsel said.

The verdict could be a factor in AMSC’s civil cases in China-where the Massachusetts company is seeking more than 1.2 billion in damages. AMSC alleges Sinovel installed the stolen code into more than a thousand of its turbines.

Sentencing in this case will take place later in the year.